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'Healing Hands' monument finds possible new home

The "Healing Hands" statue in the lobby of Westfields Hospital in New Richmond will be partially preserved.

A crew cut away and removed a large portion of the monument last Thursday night.

According to Bill Driscoll, he worked closely with Westfields Hospital President and CEO Jean Needham to find a way to preserve the "Healing Hands" water fountain and statue.

He initially thought the monument could be relocated to Glover Park.

But in stepped St. Luke's Lutheran Church across the street from Westfields.

Pastor Matthew Hein thought the statue could eventually be incorporated in a "Healing hands" garden.

According to Dale Strege, head trustee for the church, the idea is to have a sitting area and pond that would include the "Healing Hands."

"St. Luke in the Bible was a healer," Strege said. "So we decided it would be good to work with the new Cancer Center and have a meditation garden that patients could use."

The plans call for a bridge or tunnel to be installed along Business Highway 64 to allow pedestrian access from the hospital campus to the trail system to the north.

"We thought a garden would be a great tie-in," Strege said.

Right now, the "Healing Hands" are in storage. Strege said if the plans for a meditation garden don't pan out, St. Luke's will work with others in the community to find a permanent home for the statue.

The fountain, which was installed in Westfields Hospital in 2000, was made possible through a donation from the Hospital Auxiliary and the hospital Gift Shop. The fountain was installed at the same time the hospital renovated its facility and changed the main entrance location.